


I'll Walk You to School

by MysticWysteria



Category: SHINee
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Bullying, Late Night Conversations, Platonic Relationships, Protectiveness, Sleepy Cuddles, debut era shinee, implied minkey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:21:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28256091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticWysteria/pseuds/MysticWysteria
Summary: “The kids at school are dicks,” Taemin said, and despite the viciousness with which the words had fallen from his lips, there was an undeniable tremor there too. The comforting circles Jonghyun had been rubbing paused abruptly.“What did they do?”
Relationships: Kim Jonghyun/Lee Taemin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	I'll Walk You to School

Taemin flung the door open and stormed into the room with several colorful exclamations of obvious irritation before promptly flinging himself onto the bed face-first. Jonghyun slowly looked up from the book he had been reading and sighed softly. He turned to cast a glance at the door, left wide open to the rest of the dorm, then looked back at the boy who was currently fisting the sheets he had collapsed upon with knuckles turned white and exuding such potent waves of teenage angst that he was almost taken aback. Perhaps he actually would have been, if he hadn’t known Taemin as well as he did. This was not, however, the first time Jonghyun’s evenings in the dorm had been so violently interrupted. He carefully got to his feet and closed the door, taking a seat on the bed across the room beside the figure that was positively bristling with pent up emotion.

“Go away.”

“This is my room, Taeminnie,” Jonghyun said gently. He was met with a loud snort that belied no amusement.

“So?”

There was silence after, and Jonghyun welcomed it. The sheet was cool and smooth beneath his pajama shorts and he was finally beginning to shed the stupor he often found himself in after a good book. Taemin was still quiet, but that was okay, he could be patient. He leaned his head back against the headboard and exhaled. The resulting sound, however, must have been less than welcome because Taemin tore his head away from the pillow to meet his gaze with sharp defiance sparkling through the agitation.

“What do you want?”

Unperturbed, Jonghyun offered his hand, and when it wasn’t knocked away he rested it gently on Taemin's back. A minute passed, maybe more, then the tense indignation melted away beneath his fingers.

“The kids at school are dicks,” Taemin said, and despite the viciousness with which the words had fallen from his lips, there was an undeniable tremor there too. The comforting circles Jonghyun had been rubbing paused abruptly.

“What did they do?”

Taemin grumbled and buried his face back into the pillow.

“Fuck off, hyung.”

Jonghyun decidedly did not fuck off. He swept his hands under Taemin’s armpits instead and pulled the boy into a sitting position before drawing him into his arms. Taemin went with loud words of protest and more than one jab into Jonghyun’s side, but then his body went limp. He drew in a deep breath as if preparing himself for something. And then he was crying, head buried into Jonghyun’s shoulder, leaning deep into the arms that wrapped around his waist and held him close.

“They said I’m never going to have any future with you guys. Not with the way I sing—or the way that I can’t. They said I’m nothing more than a pretty face that girls will fall for one day and then forget the next.”

The first thing he felt was blind rage, then a fierce wave of protectiveness welled in Jonghyun’s chest. He cupped Taemins face and wiped away the hot tears with his thumbs, trying to convey through touch what his words could not. Part of him wanted to raise his voice, share every that was boiling just behind his tongue, spell out every detail of what he wanted to do to those kids at that moment. He took a deep breath instead, mirroring the shaky one of the child that was curled into his chest, and tipped Taemin’s chin up until he met his eyes.

“Listen to me, Taemin. Your classmates don’t know _shit_. They don’t know the eight hours you spent yesterday training alone after you thought the rest of us went to sleep, or the way you hang back after dance class when Jongin can’t get a move right so you can teach him until he no longer feels like he’s behind. They’ve never heard the wonder in the voice of our vocal trainer as he talks about the progress you’ve made over the past three years.”

Taemin shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t know that he meant whatever he said,” he mumbled in a voice so low it was almost inaudible.

“What reason would he have to lie? God, Taemin, you’re so fucking talented—but even if I had no idea of what you’re capable of, I would still leave my door unlocked for you to come find me when you need to because you’re a human being before a rookie idol and you mean more to me—to all of us—than I think you’re aware of.”

This time Taemin made a sound that Jonghyun realized after a moment was a laugh. It was subdued, broken by a hiccup, but his mouth curved into the hint of a smile nonetheless.

“You’re dumb.”

Jonghyun let his forehead fall forward to rest against the vaguely messy head of hair in front of him.

“Mmm,” he replied, noncommittal, and now he was smiling too.

He reached down to draw up the covers, turning briefly to fluff up the pillows, then nudged Taemin off his lap.

“Get some rest, okay? We’re getting up early tomorrow.” 

“Isn’t this Kibum’s bed?” Taemin’s voice was already heavy around the edges with barely concealed exhaustion, and Jonghyun fought back a laugh.

“Fuck Kibum,” he declared. The Kibum in question had gone to Minho’s room an hour ago, but that wasn’t information he felt like imparting. Taemin echoed the sentiment wholeheartedly anyways, and with perhaps a bit more satisfaction than he should have when referencing his senior, but it was somehow almost endearing. He kicked his legs over the edge of the bed and made to get back into his own.

“Wait,” Taemin mumbled, half into the pillow. Jonghyun turned to look at him with a fond look creeping into his expression. 

“Goodnight, Taem.”

He bent down and smoothed the stray hairs from in front of the boy’s forehead then patted his head and tucked the blankets in tighter around him. Taemin made a quiet sound and leaned into the touch, and some paternal instinct within him swelled, then he was crossing the room to flick off the light then bury down into the covers of his own bed. The book he had abandoned was still there, half-open, and the words on the page called to him like the warm invitation of a friend. He looked it for a moment in consideration then dog-eared the corner and set the book on the table beside his bed.

He would be getting up early. Taemin had school tomorrow. And Jonghyun would be with him the whole walk there.

**Author's Note:**

> -this is just more self-indulgent hurt/comfort   
> -kibum as the annoying roommate  
> -minkey off doing god knows what  
> -jjong would make the best father ever and debut era taemin was literally a child so.   
> -father son vibes


End file.
